Method and apparatus for reducing interference

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus is provided for reducing interference in circuits. A management strategy is provided to reduce reference spurs and interference in circuits. The management strategy uses a combination of one or more techniques which reduce the digital current, minimize mutual inductance, utilize field cancellation, prevent leakage current, and/or manage impedance. These techniques may be used alone, or preferably, used on combination with one another.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to interference in circuits. Inparticular, this invention relates to a method and apparatus forreducing reference spurs and interference in a circuit such as afrequency synthesizer that may be implemented on a single integratedcircuit (IC).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In various types of circuits, interference causes problems with theoperation of the circuits. In some circuits, the purity of signals inthe circuit can significantly effect the performance of the circuits.For example, in a wireless communications system, the performance of thesystem may be dependent on the purity of synthesized output signals.Interference can therefore cause problems with the operation of thesystem.

Wireless communication systems typically require frequency synthesis inboth the receive path circuitry and the transmit path circuitry. Forexample, cellular phone standards in the United States and Europe definecellular telephone systems with communication centered in two frequencybands, at about 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. For example, United Statescellular phone standards include (1) the AMPS (analog), IS-54(analog/digital), and IS-95 (analog/digital) standards in the 900 MHzfrequency band, and (2) PCS (digital) standards in the 1800 MHz range.European cellular phone standards include (1) the TACS (analog) and GSM(digital) standards in the 900 MHz frequency band, and (2) the DCS 1800(digital) standard in the 1800 MHz range. A dual band cellular phone iscapable of operating in both the 900 MHz frequency band and the 1800 MHzfrequency band.

Within the frequency bands, the cellular standards define systems inwhich base station units and mobile units communicate through multiplechannels, such as 30 kHz (IS-54) or 200 kHz (GSM) wide channels. Forexample, with the IS-54 standard, approximately 800 channels are usedfor transmitting information from the base station to the mobile unit,and another approximately 800 channels are used for transmittinginformation from the mobile unit to the base station. A frequency bandof 869 MHz-894 MHz and a frequency band of 824 MHz-849 MHz are reservedfor these channels, respectively. Because the mobile unit must becapable of transmitting and receiving on any of the channels for thestandard within which it is operating, a frequency synthesizer must beprovided to create accurate frequency signals in increments of theparticular channel widths, such as for example 30 kHz increments in the800-900 MHz region.

Phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits including voltage controlledoscillators (VCOs) are often used in mobile unit applications to producethe desired output frequency (f_(OUT)). The output frequency may be madeprogrammable by utilizing an output frequency feedback divider (÷N) anda reference divider (÷R) for an input reference frequency (f_(REF)). Theoutput frequency produced is a function of the values selected for “N”and “R” in the divider circuits, such that f_(OUT)=N(f_(REF)/R). The PLLcircuitry typically utilizes a phase detector to monitor phasedifferences (Δθ) between the divided reference frequency (f_(REF)/R) andthe divided output frequency (fouT/N) to drive a charge pump. The chargepump delivers packets of charge proportional to the phase difference(Δθ) to a loop filter. The loop filter outputs a voltage that isconnected to the VCO to control its output frequency. The action of thisfeedback loop attempts to drive the phase difference (Δθ) to zero (or atleast to a constant value) to provide a stable and programmable outputfrequency.

The values for the reference frequency and the divider circuits may bechosen depending upon the standard under which the mobile unit isoperating. For example, within the United States IS-54 system, a PLLcould be built such that f_(REF)/R=30 kHz and such that N is on theorder of 30,000. The output frequency, therefore, could then be set in30 kHz increments to frequencies in the 900 MHz frequency band.Similarly, within the European GSM system, a PLL could be built suchthat f_(REF)/R=200 kHz and such that N is on the order of 4,500. Theoutput frequency, therefore, could then be set in 200 kHz increments tofrequencies in the 900 MHz frequency band.

As mentioned above, the performance of the communication system,however, is critically dependent on the purity of the synthesizedhigh-frequency output signals. For signal reception, impure frequencysources result in mixing of undesired channels into the desired channelsignal. For signal transmission, impure frequency sources createinterference in neighboring channels. A frequency synthesizer,therefore, must typically meet very stringent requirements for spectralpurity. The level of spectral purity required in cellular telephoneapplications makes the design of a PLL synthesizer solution and, inparticular, the design of a VCO within a PLL synthesizer solution quitedemanding.

Three types of spectral impurity will typically occur in VCO circuitsthat are used in PLL implementations for frequency synthesis: harmonicdistortion terms associated with the output frequency, spurious tonesnear the output frequency, and phase noise centered on the outputfrequency. Generally, harmonic distortion terms are not too troublesomebecause they occur far from the desired fundamental and their effectsmay be eliminated in cellular phone circuitry external to the frequencysynthesizer. Spurious tones, however, often fall close to thefundamental. In particular, spurious tones at frequencies of ±f_(REF)/Rand multiples thereof from the output frequency (f_(OUT)) are oftenfound in the output frequency spectrum. These are called reference tonesor reference spurs. Spurious tones, including reference spurs, may berequired by a cellular phone application to be less than about −70 dBc,while harmonic distortion terms may only be required to be less thanabout −20 dBc. It is noted that the “c” indicates the quantity asmeasured relative to the power of the “carrier” frequency, which is theoutput frequency.

Phase noise is undesired energy spread continuously in the vicinity ofthe output frequency, invariably possessing a higher power density atfrequencies closer to the fundamental of the output frequency. Phasenoise is often expressed as dBc/7 Hz or dBc/Hz. Because of the effectphase noise has on system performance, a typical cellular applicationmight require the frequency synthesizer to produce an output frequencyhaving phase noise of less than about −110 dBc/√Hz at 100 kHz from theoutput frequency.

Because the phase noise specifications are so stringent in cellularphone applications, the VCOs used in cellular phone PLL synthesizersolutions are typically based on some resonant structure. Ceramicresonators and LC tank circuits are common examples. While details inthe implementation of LC tank oscillators differ, the general resonantstructure includes an inductor (L) connected in parallel with a fixedcapacitor (C) and a variable capacitor (C_(X)). In the absence of anylosses, energy would slosh between the capacitors and the inductor at afrequency f_(out)=(½π)[L(C+C_(X))]^(−1/2). Because energy will bedissipated in any real oscillator, power in the form of a negativeconductance source, such as an amplifier, is applied to sustain theoscillation. It is often the case that the series resistance of theinductor is the dominant loss mechanism in an LC tank oscillator,although other losses typically exist.

While it is highly desirable to integrate the VCO with the othercomponents of the PLL onto a single integrated circuit for cost, size,power dissipation, and performance considerations, barriers tointegration exist. One significant problem relates to the spurious tonesmentioned above. When a VCO is integrated with the other components ofthe PLL, the digital circuitry in the PLL circuit (such as the N and Rdivider circuits) interferes with the operation of the VCO, resulting inspurs. One cause of this interference is the current through the digitalcircuitry which induces current into the VCO circuitry, causing thespurs. In short, although integration onto a single integrated circuitof a PLL implementation for synthesizing high-frequency signals isdesirable for a commercial cellular phone application, integration isdifficult.

The example mentioned above relates to interference which may effect theoperation of a VCO or similar circuit. Problems with interference alsoexist in other situations. For example, in situations where a desiredsignal has a low voltage level, interference can cause problems, evenwhere no resonant circuit is involved. It is therefore a desire toreduce interference in a wide range of applications and circuit types,in addition to those described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus and method of the invention is provided for reducingspurious tones present in a circuit. One embodiment of the inventionprovides a method of integrating a VCO and a PLL for a wirelesscommunication system onto a single integrated circuit including thesteps of forming an integrated circuit having both the PLL and the VCOintegrated on the integrated circuit and applying one or more techniquesto reduce the effects of spurious tones present near the frequency ofthe output of the VCO. One technique includes providing fixed dividercircuitry for the PLL. Another technique includes reducing the mutualinductance between digital circuitry in the PLL and the VCO by placing afilter between digital circuitry in the PLL and a voltage sourceexternal to the integrated circuit in order to reduce the area of a highfrequency current loop. Another technique includes identifying aconductive trace on the integrated circuit having a relatively longlength and placing a conductive strip in the proximity of the identifiedconductive trace to help contain high frequency current flowing throughthe conductive trace within a current loop having a minimal area.Another technique includes forming at least some similar circuitelements on the integrated circuit such that adjacent circuit elementsare mirror images of one another. Another technique includes providing afirst block of digital circuitry connected to a second block of digitalcircuitry by a signal line, and inserting buffer circuitry between thefirst and second blocks of digital circuitry for containing highfrequency current within the first block of digital circuitry. Anothertechnique includes identifying circuitry in the integrated circuit inwhich the impedance of the circuitry changes over time during operationof the integrated circuit, and creating replica circuitry of theidentified circuitry which operates in a phase opposite of theidentified circuitry. Another technique includes the use of a filtercoupled to the input of an integrated circuit.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detaileddescription that follows below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which similarreferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of phase locked loop (PLL) circuitry forsynthesizing frequencies for a wireless communications device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transmit loop and a receive loop toillustrate the cause of digital interference.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing first and second loops to illustrate theeffect on the impedance of the first loop to a change in the impedancein the second loop.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of phase locked loop (PLL)circuitry of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a supply filter of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is one embodiment of the supply filter shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prior art circuit.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conductive strip used toshield a signal line.

FIGS. 9-15 illustrate various embodiments of the conductive strip shownin FIG. 8.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the layout of circuit components inone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of original and replica circuitry of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of original and replica circuitry of thepresent invention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the use of buffers of the presentinvention to contain leakage current.

FIGS. 20-23 are schematic diagrams showing the use of buffers of thepresent invention to contain leakage current.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an integrated circuit with an inputclock signal.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of an RC filter for isolating the inputclock signal of an integrated circuit.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a frequency synthesizer of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention contemplates a method and apparatus for reducingreference spurs and interference in a circuit. One application of thepresent invention contemplates a method and apparatus for synthesizinghigh-frequency signals by implementing a phase-locked loop (PLL)frequency synthesizer, including a voltage controlled oscillator, on asingle integrated circuit (IC). In particular, the invention usestechniques to reduce spurious noise in the output signal of the VCOinduced by the PLL digital circuitry. Note, however, that many of thetechniques of present invention may also be applicable to any other typeof circuit where interference is a problem.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of phase-locked loop (PLL) circuitry 100 forsynthesizing frequencies required, for example, by a wirelesscommunications device. The reference frequency (f_(REF)) 102 is receivedby a divide-by-R (÷R) counter 104, and the output frequency (f_(OUT))106 is received by a divide-by-N (÷N) counter 108. The resulting dividedsignals 110 and 112 are received by a phase detector 114. The phasedetector 114 determines the phase difference (Δθ) between the phase ofthe divided signal 110 and the phase of the divided signal 112. Thephase detector 114 uses this phase difference (Δθ) to drive a chargepump 116. The charge pump 116 provides an output that is filtered by aloop filter 118 to provide a voltage control (V_(C)) signal 120. TheV_(C) signal 120 controls the output frequency (f_(OUT)) 106 of avoltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 122. The values for N and R may beselected to provide a desired output frequency such that f_(OUT)=N(f_(REF)/R).

As discussed above, it is desirable for the PLL circuitry 100 to beintegrated onto a single chip. For example, the dotted line 224 depictedin FIG. 1 represents the portions of the PLL circuitry 100 that havebeen integrated into a single integrated circuit in some prior artcircuitry. The present invention, however, provides a frequencysynthesis solution that is capable of full integration.

As mentioned above, when a VCO is integrated with the other componentsof a PLL, the digital circuitry in the PLL circuit may interfere withthe operation of the VCO, resulting in spurs. When a frequencysynthesizer attempts to tune to a frequency near a spur, problemsresult. One cause of this interference is the current through thedigital circuitry which induces current into the VCO circuitry, causingthe spurs. Since the edges of digital signals are so sharp, theharmonics of the interfering signals are significant, even in theGigahertz range. Following is a description of this mechanism as a causeof digital noise.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a transmit loop T and a receive loop Rwhich will be used to illustrate a source of digital interference. Thetransmit loop T is comprised of one of many current loops present indigital circuitry. The transmit loop T is shown with a current sourceI_(T) to illustrate the source of current I_(T) flowing through thetransmit loop T. The receive loop R may be comprised of a loop in otherportions of a device, for example, in a VCO. The receive loop R includesan output voltage V_(R). The loops R and T have a mutual inductance Mwhich has a value based on the geometries of the loops R and T. As thecurrent I_(T) flows through the transmit loop T, a magnetic field B iscreated which induces a current onto the receive loop R. This inducedcurrent in loop R is the source of voltage V_(R). The value of thevoltage V_(R) can be calculated as follows. The flux Ø_(R) through thereceive loop R is expressed as:

Ø_(R)≡∫{right arrow over (B)}d{right arrow over (a)}≡MI_(T)  (1).

Therefore, the voltage V_(R) can be expressed as

$\begin{matrix}{V_{R} = {\frac{Ø_{R}}{t} = {M{\frac{I_{T}}{t}.}}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

It can be seen by these equations that the voltage V_(R) is determinedby the value of the mutual inductance M, and by the derivative of thecurrent I_(T). As discussed below, the present invention utilizesvarious techniques to reduce spurs by either minimizing the mutualinductance M of the transmit and receive loops, or by reducing thecurrent I_(T).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first loop 1 and a second loop 2 toillustrate the effect on the impedance Z_(EQ) of loop 1 of a change inthe impedance Z_(L) in loop 2. Loops 1 and 2 represent current loopsformed in various places in a circuit. For example, the loop 1 may beformed in a VCO, while loop 2 is formed in digital circuitry (describedbelow). Following is a description illustrating how the impedance Z_(EQ)of loop 1 can be effected by a change in the impedance Z_(L) of loop 2.Following are equations for the impedances Z_(EQ) and Z_(L):

$\begin{matrix}{{{Z_{EQ} = \frac{V_{1}}{I_{1}}};}{and}} & (3) \\{Z_{L} = {- {\frac{V_{2}}{I_{2}}.}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

Note the sign given the conventions.The flux Ø₁ and Ø₂ of the loops 1 and 2 can be represented by thefollowing equations:

Ø₁ L ₁ =I ₁ +MI ₂  (5); and

Ø₂ =L ₂ I ₂ +MI ₁  (6).

Using the notation “s” for d/dt, the voltages V₁ and V₂ can be expressedas:

V ₁ =sØ ₁ =sL ₁ I ₁ +sMI ₂  (7); and

V ₂ =sØ ₂ =sL ₂ I ₂ +sMI ₁  (8).

Substituting the value of V₂ from equation (4) into equation (8) givesthe following equation:

−I ₂ Z _(L) =sL ₂ I ₂ +sMI ₁  (9).

Solving for I₂, gives:

$\begin{matrix}{I_{2} = {{- \frac{sM}{Z_{L} + {sL}_{2}}}{I_{1}.}}} & (10)\end{matrix}$

Substituting this value of I₂ into equation (7) results in:

$\begin{matrix}{V_{1} = {{{{sL}_{1}I_{1}} - {\frac{s^{2}M^{2}}{Z_{L} + {sL}_{2}}I_{1}}} = {\left\lbrack {{sL}_{1} - \frac{s^{2}M^{2}}{Z_{L} + {sL}_{2}}} \right\rbrack {I_{1}.}}}} & (11)\end{matrix}$

Substituting this value of V₁ into equation (1) results in:

$\begin{matrix}{Z_{EQ} = {{sL}_{1} - {\frac{s^{2}M^{2}}{Z_{L} + {sL}_{2}}.}}} & (12)\end{matrix}$

It can be seen by equation (12) that a change in Z_(L) in loop 2 effectsthe value of Z_(EQ) in loop 1 as does a change in the self inductance L₂or the mutual inductance M (as for example, a result of a change ingeometry). Loop 1 may represent the inductance of the LC circuit. Theimpedance Z_(EQ), then, is presented to the capacitor of the LC circuit.Therefore, the oscillation frequency is affected by a change in Z_(EQ).If the impedance Z_(L) varies periodically with time and a change inZ_(L) effects the value of Z_(EQ), the oscillation frequency varies withtime (frequency modulation). As is well known in the art, low levelperiodic frequency modulation results in spurs in an oscillator outputspectrum. Note that the magnitude of the spurs depends on the magnitudeof the frequency modulation and the speed of the frequency modulation.For example, a square-wave frequency deviation of +/−1.0 kHz with aperiod of 5.0 usec results in spurs +/−200 kHz from the carrier havingan amplitude of −49.9 dBc.

It is also evident that capacitive coupling between an oscillator andother circuitry that exhibits a changing impedance could also change thefrequency of oscillation. As discussed below, the present inventionutilizes various techniques to reduce spurs by minimizing the amountthat Z_(EQ) changes during operation of the circuit.

The present invention uses a spur management strategy to reduce theamplitude of the spurs. This strategy can best be understood by lookingat the causes (described above) of the interference between the PLLdigital circuitry and the VCO. The management strategy uses acombination of one or more techniques which reduce the digital current,minimize mutual inductance, utilize field cancellation, prevent leakagecurrent, and/or manage impedance. All of these techniques are describedin detail below. Note that any one of the techniques may be used alone,or preferably, used in combination with one another.

The first technique attempts to reduce the digital current that causesspurs. Looking at the PLL circuitry 100 shown in FIG. 1, a major sourceof digital current that causes interference is the divide-by-R counter104. In a typical prior art PLL, such as that shown in FIG. 1, thedivide-by-R counter is implemented using a synchronous programmablecounter. Synchronous programmable counters are readily designed and caneasily be programmed to divide by a desired amount. One problem withsynchronous programmable counters is that the counter will have a largenumber of components. Another problem with synchronous programmablecounters is that every flip-flop in the counter is clocked at the samespeed. The present invention reduces the digital current by reducing thenumber of components in the divide-by-R counter. This is accomplished byreplacing the programmable counter by one or more fixed-value countersand clocking at least one of the counters at a slower rate.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of PLL circuitry 200 which is similar to thePLL circuitry 100 except that the programmable divide-by-R counter isreplaced with two fixed-value counters 204 and 205. FIG. 4 will bedescribed in the example where the reference frequency (f_(REF)) 202 is13 MHz and where the desired divided signal 210 is 200 kHz. This examplecorresponds to the desired frequency for the GSM standard. In thisexample, the desired value of R is 65 (since 13 MHz÷65=200 KHz). FIG. 4shows a first divide-by-R1 counter 204 and a second divide-by-R2 counter205. To divide by 65, R1 is given a value of 5 and R2 is given a valueof 13, resulting in a total division of 65. This arrangement results inless digital current since the components of the counter 205 are clockedat f_(REF)/R1 rather than at f_(REF). In addition, less support logic isrequired in a fixed counter versus a universally programmable counter.Of course, the counters 204 and 205 could be reversed. In someapplications, the counters 204 and 205 could be replaced by more thantwo counters, so long as the desired division is accomplished.Similarly, any other digital circuitry that is found to cause spurs maybe modified to reduce the digital current.

Note that FIG. 4 shows only one example of how the digital current canbe reduced. In another embodiment, the digital circuitry that comprisesthe divide-by counter(s) can be powered by a lower voltage than theremainder of the PLL circuitry. This will reduce the digital current inCMOS applications. In another embodiment, the adverse effect of thedigital circuitry can be reduced by rounding the corners of the digitalpulses generated by the counters. This will reduce the amplitude of theharmonic components of the digital current.

The next technique described attempts to reduce spurs by reducing themutual inductance between current loops in the digital circuitry in thePLL and current loops in the VCO. As is well known, the mutualinductance is dependent on the area of the transmit and receive loops.The present invention uses supply filters to reduce the area of theseloops. Note that in the prior art, filters may be used to maintain avoltage supply, but not to reduce the area of a current loop.

In digital circuitry (such as the digital circuitry comprising divide-bycounters 204 and 205), a transmit loop is formed through the digitalcircuitry back to a supply, such as the voltage source that suppliesvoltage to the digital circuitry. Since the voltage source is locatedoff the IC, the transmit loop can be relatively large. The presentinvention uses a supply filter (e.g., a low pass filter) to shorten thecurrent loop, thereby reducing the mutual inductance between the digitalcircuitry of the PLL and the VCO.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing digital circuitry 326 and a supplyfilter 328 connected to a source of voltage (VDDD) and ground (GND). Thesupply filter provides a source of voltage VDDX to the digital circuitry326 which is also connected to ground GND. The purpose of the supplyfilter 328 is to shorten the current loop formed through the digitalcircuitry and its voltage supply, at least for frequency components nearthe output frequency of the VCO. To illustrate this, FIG. 5 illustratestwo separate current loops. A first current loop 330 illustrates acurrent loop which flows through the digital circuitry 326 and throughvoltage supply circuitry (voltage source VDDD and bypass capacitor C)external to the IC. The area of the current loop 330 is relatively largeby necessity of including off-chip components. A second current loop 332illustrates a current loop which flows through the digital circuitry 326and through the supply filter 328 which is formed on the IC. The area ofthe current loop 332 is small relative to the current loop 330.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of a supplyfilter 428 for use with digital circuitry 426. The supply filter 428 hasa first section comprising capacitor C1 and resistor R1. The supplyfilter has a second section comprising capacitor C2 and resistor R2. Thecapacitor C1 is connected between voltage supply VDDX and ground GND.The resistors R1 and R2 are connected to each other between the voltagesource VDDD and the digital circuitry 426. The capacitor C2 is connectedbetween the node formed by resistors R1 and R2 and ground GND. Ifdesired, the supply filter 328 could include more sections by addingadditional capacitors and resistors connected in the same manner as thefirst two sections. In addition, the supply filter 328 shown in FIG. 5could also be provided by active circuitry. The details of any digitalcircuitry will determine a desired number of sections and the desiredvalues of the components. In one embodiment, the supply filter 428includes two sections with capacitors and resistors having the followingvalues (R1=134Ω; C1=81.0 pF; R2=134Ω; C2=13.5 pF).

The purpose of the supply filter 428 is to shorten the current loops forhigh frequency components of current, while allowing low frequencycomponents to supply power to the digital circuitry 426. FIG. 6illustrates three separate current loops. Of course, if the filter 428had more sections, there would be more current loops. A first currentloop 430 illustrates a current loop which flows through the digitalcircuitry 426, through voltage supply circuitry (and bypass capacitorC), and through resistors R2 and R1. The area of the current loop 430 isrelatively large by necessity of including off-chip components. A secondcurrent loop 434 illustrates a current loop which flows through thedigital circuitry 426, through capacitor C2 and resistor R1, and back tothe digital circuitry 426. The area of the current loop 434 is smallrelative to the current loop 430. A third current loop 436 illustrates acurrent loop which flows through the digital circuitry 426, throughcapacitor C1, and back to the digital circuitry 426. The area of thecurrent loop 436 is also small relative to the current loop 430. Tominimize the areas of loops 434 and 436, capacitors C1 and C1 should beplaced as closed to the digital circuitry 426 as possible.

The supply filter 428 operates as follows. As mentioned above, thepurpose of the supply filter 428 is to reduce the area of current loopsfor high frequency components of the current. In one embodiment, thefirst section of the supply filter 428 will cause approximately 90% ofthe high frequency components of the current to flow through currentloop 436. Of the remaining 10% of the high frequency components of thecurrent, approximately 90% will flow through the second current loop434. As a result, only 1% of the high frequency components of thecurrent will flow through the largest current loop 430. At the sametime, DC current, and low frequency components of the current, will flownearly uninhibited to the digital circuitry 426 from the external powersupply. In this way, the net area of the high frequency current loop isreduced, reducing the mutual inductance at frequencies of interest, andthus reducing spurs.

The next technique described also attempts to reduce spurs by reducingthe mutual inductance between current loops in the digital circuitry inthe PLL and current loops in the VCO. The present invention usesconduits to reduce the area of the transmit loops by containing highfrequency current flowing through a signal line which spans a largedistance. This large distance may be 1 mm or more, for example.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of two circuit elements (in this example,inverters 540 and 542) connected together by a signal line 544. Forcurrent flowing through the signal line 544 from driving inverter 540 toload inverter 542, a return path is provided by ground return 546. Notethat the ground return 546 may include a conductive path as well as theentire substrate of the IC. FIG. 7 also shows a route capacitance C_(R)formed by the signal line 544 and ground return 546 between the signalline 544 and the substrate or ground return 546. The route capacitanceC_(R) causes additional high frequency current to flow through the pathformed by the route capacitance C_(R). The current loop for the highfrequency components of the current which defines the mutual inductancehas an area dependent on the placement of the components 540 and 542,the signal line 544, and the ground return 546. FIG. 7 shows a routecurrent loop 545 which flows through the route capacitance C_(R), andtherefore is distributed over a large area in the circuit. Note that thesignal line 544 is capacitively coupled to the ground return 546 whichincludes the entire substrate in an IC. Also note that the schematicdiagrams shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are two-dimensional. In an actual IC,the entire substrate acts as a ground and current can flow back in threedimensions through a number of paths.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of two similar circuit elements 640 and642 connected together by a signal line 644. The technique of thepresent invention uses a conductive strip 648 connected at one end 650to ground (i.e., a reference voltage). The opposite end 652 of theconductive strip 648 is not connected to ground. As a result, theconductive strip 648 acts as a shield to the signal line 644 andprovides a return path for high frequency components of the currentwhich flows along the signal line 644. The strip 648 increases the routecapacitance, but manages the return path. As a result of the strip 648,the signal line 644 is no longer capacitively coupled to the groundreturn 646, but is capacitively coupled to the conductive strip 648.FIG. 8 shows a current loop 645 which flows through the routecapacitance formed between the signal line 644 and strip 648. In otherwords, the loop area of the prior art (FIG. 7) includes the area betweenthe signal line 544 and the ground return 546, while the loop area ofthe present invention (FIG. 8) includes the area between the signal line644 and the conductive strip 648. It can be seen that the loop area isgreatly reduced by the conductive strip 648. Note that the conductivestrip 648 is most effective with the end 652 not connected to anythingsince if it were otherwise connected, some of the current could flowback through the ground return 646.

FIGS. 9-15 illustrate many implementations of the conductive strip shownin FIG. 8 in an IC having a substrate and three metal layers. FIG. 9 isa sectional end view illustrating a silicon substrate 746 and threemetal layers (METAL 1, METAL 2, METAL 3) of an IC. A signal line 744 isformed in the METAL 2 layer. A first conductive strip 754 is formed onthe METAL 1 layer directly below the signal line 744. A secondconductive strip 756 is formed on the METAL 3 layer directly above thesignal line 744. Finally, conductive strips 758 are formed in the METAL2 layer on each side of the signal line 744. The conductive strips 754,756, and 758 are connected to each other by vias 760 and are grounded atone end (like conductive strip 648 is grounded at end 650). The oppositeends of the conductive strips 754, 756, and 758 are not connected toanything. As shown, the conductive strips 754, 756, and 758 surround thesignal line 744 forming a conduit which shields the signal line 744 muchlike a coaxial cable is shielded. As mentioned above, the current looparea is greatly reduced by the conduit, reducing the mutual inductanceof the loop to any other loop on the IC.

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9. FIG.10 helps to illustrate how the conductive strips are connected or not ateach end. FIG. 10 shows the conductive strips 754 and 756 connected toground (the substrate 746) by contact 761 at one end 750. As shown, theopposite ends 752 are not connected to ground. The signal line 744 isshown extending past the ends 752 where it will be connected to acircuit component such as component 642 (FIG. 8).

FIGS. 11-15 illustrate alternate forms of the conduits of the presentinvention. FIG. 11 is a sectional end view similar to FIG. 9. However,the conduit shown in FIG. 11 includes two rows of vias 960 connectingthe conductive strips 954, 956, and 958. The embodiment shown in FIG. 11more completely shields the signal line 944. FIG. 12 is a top sectionalview taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 11 showing the signal line 944 andthe conductive strips 958. FIG. 12 also shows the layout of the vias960. As shown, the vias 960 are arranged in separate staggered rowsforming a “fence” or checkerboard type of pattern. This layout of vias960 provides more shielding in the gaps between the conductive strips.Note that vias could be staggered in other ways.

FIG. 13 shows an embodiment with only one conductive strip 1154positioned between the signal line 1144 and the substrate 1146. Theconductive strip 1154 is the same as the conductive strip 754 shown inFIG. 9, but without vias or other conductive strips. FIG. 14 shows anembodiment that provides better shielding that the embodiment shown inFIG. 13. The embodiment shown in FIG. 14 allows a signal to be routed inthe METAL 3 layer, while providing shielding of the signal line 1244 bythe combination of conductive strips 1254, 1258, and vias 1260. FIG. 15shows an embodiment with two conductive strips 1358 positioned onopposite sides of the signal line 1344. The conductive strips 1358 arethe same as the conductive strips 758 shown in FIG. 9, but without viasconnected to other conductive strips. The embodiments shown in FIGS.13-15 will help to shield the signal lines 1144, 1244, and 1344 but notas thoroughly as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-11. It can be seen thatmany different combinations of conductive strips and metal layers may beused to implement the conduits of the present invention.

Another approach attempts to reduce spurs using a cancellationtechnique. For this technique, components of the PLL circuitry arearranged such that fields of certain components cancel the fields ofother similar components. In other words, where a certain component mayinduce a current in the VCO, a similar component is arranged to inducean opposite current in the VCO.

In one embodiment, the flip-flops of the divide-by-R counter (104, 204,205 in FIGS. 1 and 4) are arranged with every other flip-flop having anopposite sense of current flow. In other words, every circuit componentis a mirror image of the one next to it. FIG. 16 is a diagramillustrating such an arrangement. FIG. 16 shows a plurality of circuitcomponents 1410 and 1412. Each of the circuit components in FIG. 16 isshown with an arrow to distinguish components having opposite senses ofcurrent flow. In the example layout shown in FIG. 16, the components1410 are mirror images of components 1412. By arranging these componentsin this way, the fields generated by the components 1410 cancel thefields generated by the components 1412.

The next technique described addresses the problem of spurs caused bychanges in impedance during the operation of a circuit. A change inimpedance in a circuit occurs in portions of a circuit that change overtime (see equation (12) above). For example, a flip-flop can changestates (e.g., goes from high to low or low to high) during the operationof a circuit. When a flip-flop changes states, certain switching devicesin the flip-flop are switched on or off. The switches that are turned onprovide paths that define the geometry of various loops which, in turn,effects the inductance of the loops as well as the mutual inductancebetween loops. As was described above with respect to FIG. 3, thefrequency of oscillation of a VCO in the vicinity of a flip-flop willthen vary with time, which results in spurs in the oscillator outputspectrum.

The present invention alleviates the problem described above byisolating portions of the digital circuitry that cause the spurs as aresult of changing impedance and cancels the changing impedance byadding replica circuitry which operates in an opposite phase. Theportions of the digital circuitry which are more likely to cause spursinclude circuitry where a signal line runs over a relatively long route,because the mutual inductance M will have a large value for a largerroute. In the example of an inverter, a replica inverter is created andis controlled to always be in the opposite phase as the originalinverter. In this way, the impedance looking into the inverters isapproximately constant independent of the state of the inverters becausewhen one inverter is high, the other inverter will be low, and viseversa. The original and replica inverters and their routes should bematched and placed as close together as possible.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating how replica circuitry can beimplemented. FIG. 17 shows digital circuitry 1562 connected to a digitalload 1564. A signal line 1566 is connected to the input of the digitalcircuitry 1562. As mentioned above, during operation, the digitalcircuitry 1562 will change states which can change the frequency ofoscillation of a neighboring VCO. The signal line 1566 is also connectedto an inverter 1568 so that the output of the inverter 1568 will alwaysbe high when the signal line 1566 is low, and vise versa. The output ofthe inverter 1568 is connected to replica circuitry 1570 which isconnected to a replica load 1572. The replica circuitry 1570 and load1572 are replicas of the digital circuitry 1562 and load 1564. By“replica”, it should be understood that there may be some variations inthe circuitry, but preferably, replica circuitry is designed to be assimilar as possible and located as close as possible to the originalcircuitry. It is intended that when the digital circuitry 1562 is in onestate, the replica circuitry 1570 is in the opposite state, therebycreating a substantially constant impedance environment as seen by theneighboring VCO.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example where the digital circuitryis comprised of an inverter 1662 and the load is comprised of anotherinverter 1664. FIG. 18 shows digital logic circuitry 1661 and 1665 toillustrate how the original inverter 1662 and replica inverter 1670 mayfit with other digital circuitry on an IC. A signal line 1666 isconnected between the digital logic 1661 and the original inverter 1662.The signal line 1666 is also connected to an inverter 1668 which createsan inverted control signal for the replica inverter 1670. Therefore,when the output of the inverter 1662 is high, the output of the replicainverter 1670 will be low, and vise versa. The inverter 1662 isconnected to a digital load (inverter 1664). The replica inverter 1670is connected to a replica digital load (inverter 1672). Note that thereplica circuitry serves no purpose in the function of the IC other thanto reduce spurs by maintaining a constant impedance environment as seenby the neighboring VCO. FIG. 18 also shows a supply filter 328 connectedto the digital logic 1661 for providing a voltage VDDX to the digitallogic 1661. The filter 328 helps to reduce the mutual inductance M ofuncanceled circuitry by minimization of loop area (in this case, theloop area of loop 2 (FIG. 3), rather than the loop area of loop T (FIG.2)). Note therefore that the filter 328 shown in FIG. 18 provides thisbenefit in addition to the benefits described with respect to FIGS. 5and 6.

Note that if other techniques for reducing spurs are used with digitalcircuitry which is replicated, the replicated circuitry should apply thesame techniques. For example, if a conduit (described above) is used onthe connection between the inverters 1662 and 1664, then a conduitshould be used between the replica inverters 1670 and 1672. Rather thanusing the inverter 1668, separate control signals could be generated andused to control the circuitry, so long as the control signals keep thecircuitry in opposite phases. Note that while the above discussionconcentrates on magnetic coupling between loops, capacitively coupledimpedance pulling is also canceled by the replicated circuitry.

The next spur reduction technique described is a way of reducing themutual inductance between transmit and receive loops by containingleakage current in order to minimize the area of current loops. Thistechnique is most applicable to situations where a block of dynamicdigital circuitry receives a static control signal and/or sends a staticstatus signal from/to another block of digital circuitry on the IC. Asis described in more detail below, high frequency current can “leak” outfrom otherwise well-managed dynamic circuitry through the control orstatus lines, creating a large loop area.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a block of dynamic digital circuitry1774 and a block of static digital circuitry 1776 connected together bya control line 1778 and a status line 1780. To prevent current fromleaking out over the control and status lines 1778 and 1780, buffers1782 and 1784 are placed on the control line 1778 and status line 1780,respectively. As is explained in detail below, the buffers 1782 and 1784confine the leakage current within the digital circuitry 1774 and thebuffers 1782 and 1784. It is desired to position the buffers 1782 and1784 on or as close to the periphery of the dynamic digital circuitry1774 as possible.

To help illustrate the function of the buffers, one embodiment of thebuffers will be described. FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate control and statuslines without the benefit of the buffers of the present invention. FIG.20 is a schematic diagram illustrating a control line 1878 connectedbetween dynamic digital circuitry (the left side of FIG. 20) and staticdigital circuitry (the right side of FIG. 20). The control line 1878 is,as by example, connected at one end to an inverter 1886 and to aninverter 1888 at the other end. Capacitance C_(X) is the capacitancebetween the control line 1878 and VDDX resulting from the proximity ofthe control line to VDDX or from the gate to source capacitance of thep-channel transistor of the inverter 1886. The supply filter capacitorC1 (see C1 in FIG. 6) will be bouncing due to activity in the dynamiccircuitry, providing current to the control line 1878 through thecapacitance C_(X). If the control line 1878 is low, this current willflow through the driving n-channel transistor of inverter 1888 orthrough capacitance C_(A) and return. This could result in a largecurrent loop, which results in a large mutual inductance to aneighboring VCO. Worse yet, if the control line 1878 is high, thecurrent will flow through C_(A) and also through the driving p-channeltransistor of the inverter 1888 to VDDD. This could result in an evenlarger current loop, i.e., possibly leading off the IC to a bypasscapacitor.

In addition to the problems identified above, more problems may occur ifthe status or control lines are routed near or across other signal linesor supply lines inside that dynamic digital circuitry block. In such acase, the status or control lines may be capacitively coupled to theother signal lines or supply lines, thus providing an escape route forleakage current.

The status line 1980 shown in FIG. 21 is connected at one end to aninverter 1986 and to an inverter 1988 at the other end. If the statusline is low, there is no problem with VDDX, but there may be problemswith other signal routes (described above). If the status line is high,however, there is a direct connection to VDDX through the p-channeltransistor of the inverter 1986 and current will flow from VDDX throughroute capacitance CB and also through the receiving gates of theinverter 1988 to VDDD. It can be seen that without buffers, such asbuffers 1782 and 1784 (FIG. 19), high frequency current that might haveotherwise been well localized to the dynamic circuitry and its filter isnot contained and is allowed to flow outside the block of dynamicdigital circuitry, resulting in a large loop area and a large mutualinductance.

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate an embodiment of the buffers of the presentinvention applied to the circuits shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. 22shows circuitry similar to that shown in FIG. 20, but with a buffer 2082inserted on the control line 2078. The buffer 2082 is preferablyphysically located on the IC on the periphery of the dynamic digitalcircuitry. The buffer 2082 is comprised of a first inverter 2090 and asecond inverter 2092. The first inverter 2090 is powered by VDDX whilethe second inverter 2092 is powered by a buffer filtering capacitor CBUF(through a filtering resistor (not shown)). With the buffer 2082 inplace, high frequency current is confined within the dynamic digitalcircuitry (the left side of FIG. 22), and perhaps within the bufferfilter, without effecting the reception of the static signal on thecontrol line 2078.

FIG. 23 shows circuitry similar to that shown in FIG. 21, but with abuffer 2182 inserted on the status line 2180. The buffer 2182 ispreferably physically located on the IC on the periphery of the dynamicdigital circuitry. The buffer 2182 is comprised of a first inverter 2190and a second inverter 2192. The second inverter 2192 is powered by VDDDwhile the first inverter 2190 is powered by a buffer filtering capacitorCBUF (through a filtering resistor (not shown)). With the buffer 2182 inplace, high frequency current is confined within the dynamic digitalcircuitry (the left side of FIG. 23), and perhaps within the bufferfilter, without effecting the transmission of the static signal on thestatus line 2180.

While FIGS. 22 and 23 show inverters 2092 and 2190 as being powered bybuffer filtering capacitor CBUF (through a filtering resistor), theseinverters could also be powered by VDDD and VDDX, respectively, althoughthe isolation would be diminished. Also, while the buffers in FIGS. 22and 23 are shown as inverters, other types of buffers could be used.Also, the “buffers” shown in FIGS. 19, 22, and 23 are not used in theirconventional sense, that is, to bring a signal to an increased drivinglevel. The buffers of the present invention are used for isolationpurposes.

The next technique described addresses the problem of spurs caused bychanges in impedance during the operation of a circuit. The problemaddressed here relates to an input clock signal which an IC receivesfrom an external clock source. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an IC2294 which receives a clock signal from an external oscillator 2296.FIG. 24 also shows the LC tank of a VCO which is mutually coupled to theinput clock signal. Spurs may occur around the output frequency of theVCO at frequencies offset by the frequency of the input clock (e.g., 13MHz on either side of the output frequency for an input clock signal at13 MHz). The spurs are a result of the impedance changing at the clockinput of the IC as the clock input voltage changes. Specifically, theimpedance looking into a comparator at the clock input changes when thestate of the comparator changes. In addition, electrostatic discharge(ESD) protection diodes have a capacitance which is dependent on thevoltage level. In general, any voltage dependent impedance maycontribute to spurs.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating one technique that addressesthis problem. FIG. 25 shows an RC filter inserted in the clock inputline of the IC. The RC filter is comprised of a resistor R3 and acapacitor C3. As the values of R3 and C3 increase, the impedance lookinginto the IC at the VCO frequency is effected less by the changes inimpedance mentioned above. Therefore, by carefully selecting values forR3 and C3, the RC filter effectively isolates the impedance changes fromthe VCO but allows the clock signal to pass through. In one embodiment,where the input clock is 13 MHz, and where the output frequency of theLC tank is 900 MHz, R3 is a 500Q resistor and capacitor C3 is a 5 pFcapacitor. Of course, other suitable values may be selected, dependingon the situation. Note that the resistor R3 shown in FIG. 25 will nothave ESD protection, so it must be sized accordingly. Therefore, theresistor R3 may take up a lot of area on the IC.

Note that similar RC filters could be used on other inputs or outputs ofthe IC, not just on clock inputs. The filters may be used on anyinterface pin (e.g., input and/or output) of a circuit. Also note thatthe filter could be comprised of an LC filter rather than an RC filter.In another embodiment, an external resistor or inductor can be used inplace of the resistor R3 which is formed on the IC.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating another example of circuitrywith which the present invention may be used. FIG. 26 illustrates afrequency synthesizer utilizing a digital and analog VCO implementationwhich provides an alternative to the circuit shown in FIG. 4. A PLL 2600is formed in which the phase detector, charge pump, and loop filter (seeFIG. 4) are replaced with a shift register 2607, phase detector 2614,and sample hold circuit 2615. The shift register 2607 has 20 outputswhich are connected to the 21 inputs of the phase detector 2614. Thephase detector 2614 has 20 outputs which are connected to the 20 inputsof the sample and hold 2615. Each of the techniques described above maybe applied to the circuit shown in FIG. 26, as well as any other desiredcircuits.

The circuit shown in FIG. 26 is described in detail in commonly owned,co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/087,485, filed on May 29,1998, and entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING VARIABLECAPACITANCE FOR SYNTHESIZING HIGH-FREQUENCY SIGNALS FOR WIRELESSCOMMUNICATIONS”, which is incorporated by reference herein.

In the preceding detailed description, the invention is described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. Variousmodifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A method of reducing interference present in acircuit formed on an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:identifying a conductive trace on the circuit carrying high frequencydigital current; and placing a conductive strip in the proximity of theidentified conductive trace to help contain the high frequency currentflowing through the conductive trace.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the conductive strip is coupled to a reference voltage at oneend.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the conductive strip has firstand second opposite ends, wherein the first end makes a connection to areference voltage, and wherein the second end makes no connection. 15.The method of claim 12, wherein the conductive strip is substantiallyparallel to the identified conductive trace.
 16. The method of claim 12,further comprising the step of placing a second conductive strip in theproximity of the identified conductive trace.
 17. The method of claim16, further comprising the step of placing a third conductive strip inthe proximity of the identified conductive trace.
 18. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the circuit includes PLL and VCO circuitry for usewith a wireless communications system.
 19. A conduit for shielding aconductive trace carrying high frequency digital current on a circuitformed on an integrated circuit in order to reduce interference presentin the circuit, the conduit comprising: a first conductive strippositioned substantially parallel to the conductive trace; and a contactconnecting the conductive strip to a reference voltage.
 20. The conduitof claim 19, wherein the contact is connected to the conductive stripnear an end of the conductive strip.
 21. The conduit of claim 20,wherein the conductive strip is open at the opposite end.
 22. Theconduit of claim 19, further comprising a second conductive strippositioned substantially parallel to the conductive trace.
 23. Theconduit of claim 22, wherein the first and second conductive strips arepositioned on opposite sides of the conductive trace.
 24. The conduit ofclaim 19, wherein the circuit is an integrated circuit which includesmultiple metal layers, and wherein the conductive trace is formed on oneof the metal layers.
 25. The conduit of claim 24, wherein the firstconductive strip is formed on a first metal layer.
 26. The conduit ofclaim 25, further comprising a second conductive strip formed on asecond metal layer.
 27. The conduit of claim 26, wherein the first andsecond conductive strips are electrically connected together.
 28. Theconduit of claim 27, wherein the first and second conductive strips areconnected to the substrate of the integrated circuit.
 29. The conduit ofclaim 19, wherein the integrated circuit includes PLL and VCO circuitryfor use with a wireless communications system. 30-60. (canceled)